135 

 BACHELORS' BLESSEDNESS, No. III. 



MR. EDITOR, I find that your friend of the "fishing 

 basket " is not contented to slip quietly into the " holy 

 estate of matrimony, " without having a parting kick 

 at a poor " Batchelor " who does not happen to be as 

 fortunate as himself. And this he proposes to do " in 

 the spirit of Christian kindness." But how does he set 

 about this kind act ? why by comparing the " Bache- 

 lor " to "a Billingsgate virago. " I do not doubt but 

 that his description of the latter personage is quite 

 correct, and I am willing to make every excuse for his 

 having recourse to such a comparison, for what object 

 can we suppose to be so familiar to the mind of & fisher- 

 man, as a seller offish ? 



I am not surprised that the " fisherman " as he " means 

 to get married " should look with a favourable eye on 

 the~" blessedness " of that state into which he is about 

 to enter; and should endeavour to knock down all the 

 obstacles which others may attempt to throw in his way. 

 But if he supposes that I intended to adduce " argu- 

 ments against matrimony, " he is much mistaken. I 

 endeavoured to show, indeed, that all bachelors are not 

 such stupid, unsociable, indolent, selfish creatures as they 

 had been represented by the author from whom I quoted. 

 And this led me to point out some evils to which some 

 married men are subject, but from which bachelors 

 are free. But I will not attempt to destroy Theobald's 

 delightful impression of the " blessedness " of the mar- 

 riage state ; but will again say that " a man may live 

 well with a very good wife ; " and I sincerely hope that 

 Theobald's intended may prove to be one of this descrip- 

 tion. And when he returns from his " rural rambles " 

 " in a wild and uncultivated district, " sweating beneath 

 the burden of his ponderous " piscatory receptacle " 

 (or, in plainer English, ^pannier) containing his " four 

 dozen of fish, each above three pounds weight, " may 

 he meet with " a kind welcome from his wife, greetings 

 of gladness from his children " and a good price for his 

 fish from his old friend the " Billingsgate virago, " for 



